Global Women’s Beer Campaign Gears Up to Grow in 2026

International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day (IWCBD) will be back for 2026, organisers Women On Tap CIC have confirmed, with funding and partnerships in place set to increase the campaign's impact and legacy.

The global campaign brings together beer and International Women’s Day by inspiring and supporting communities to gather at local breweries annually on or around 8th March to brew beer together, network, learn, and celebrate women.

The beer industry remains stubbornly male-dominated, with women still making up just 30% of the overall UK workforce - a figure unchanged since 2022. Only 4% of those women are now in brewing roles, a sharp drop from 11% in 2019. Women now represent just 8% of all brewers, down from 9% last year, and their presence in management has slipped from 25% to 23%. Meanwhile, women remain heavily overrepresented in administrative roles, comprising 78% of that segment.*

IWCBD aims to drive change by boosting representation, promoting the growth of support networks, and inspiring breweries to reflect on workplace inclusion.

First launched in 2014 by Sophie de Ronde of Burnt Mill Brewery, the global brewing celebration ran for 10 years before taking a break in 2024.

Later that year, Women On Tap CIC - the social enterprise championing gender equality in the beer industry - announced it would be picking up the reins. IWCBD made its welcome return this year - and what a comeback. 61 brew days, 837 participants, 66 beers, and an incredible £26,921 raised for 44 women’s causes around the world.

Women On Tap has now secured funding and put in place the core building blocks for IWCBD 2026, with a number of exciting enhancements. This includes:

• The Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) is headline partner for IWCBD for another year, demonstrating its commitment to inspiring inclusion and supporting positive change

• WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust), the global leader in drinks education, will once again be our Education Partner. For 2026, they are expanding their support by increasing donated places on the exclusive IWCBD online Level 1 Award in Beer from 18 to 30. These places will be equally available to participants across all regions, helping more people around the world to access professional beer education

• A new bursary scheme will be offered, supplying direct financial support to those who are required to cover their own travel costs and who would find this a barrier to participation in the campaign

• Simpsons Malt has also signed-up again as a main sponsor

Andy Slee, SIBA Chief Executive said:

“SIBA could not be more pleased to once again be partnering with Women On Tap to present the International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day for 2026. Improving the diversity of the beer industry and attracting more women to join brewing is essential for the future of the sector and we look forward to helping as many breweries as possible get involved this coming year.”

Beer Sommelier, Advanced Cicerone® and Certified Beer Educator at WSET, Natalya Watson, adds:

“WSET is thrilled to increase our impact for next year’s IWCBD campaign. In 2026, we’ll be offering 30 global participants the opportunity to gain their Level 1 Award in Beer and to grow their networks through this special online course. Our qualifications don’t just provide product knowledge and tasting skills – they build confidence and create opportunities for people to take their next step in beer.”

Women On Tap founder, Rachel Auty, will lead the campaign again for 2026:

“It’s been an honour to take ownership of this legendary campaign this year. We’ve already started to positively evolve it with excellent results, and there’s more to come. For 2026 we’re actively looking to grow participation, particularly internationally; we’ve engaged a range of new industry supporters, and we’re introducing a bursary scheme to actively remove some cost barriers. We want to increase the impact of the campaign across all metrics for 2026, and we’re incredibly grateful to SIBA, WSET and all our other supporters for enabling us to do this.”

IWCBD sign up will open in October, with a chance to ask questions about participation and meet others at an online information event in November.

Sign up to the main Women On Tap CIC mailing list to receive updates.

With thanks to Bursary Sponsors Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), Charles Faram, Kegstar, Lallemand, The Malt Miller, and the Women On Tap CIC Changemakers.

*Source of data: The SIBA Independent Beer Report 2025

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NOTES TO EDITOR:

Contact rachel@womenontap.co.uk

About IWCBD

Founded in 2013 by Sophie de Ronde, Head Brewer at Burnt Mill Brewery, Suffolk, UK, International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day is a worldwide annual event that takes place on and around March 8th every year in conjunction with International Women’s Day.

Brewery teams and home brewers come together with their communities and local groups to celebrate women in the beer industry, and to create and release collaboration beers, raising funds for women’s causes.

The brew days generally take place on the 8th March, but some happen at other times around this date.

For ten years (2014-2023) IWCBD provided a central theme and platform to bring together all the IWD brew day projects onto one map, under one brand, and into one marketing campaign.

In 2024, the campaign was taken on by Women On Tap CIC.

About Women On Tap CIC

Founded in 2017, Women On Tap CIC is on a gender equality mission with a focus on the UK beer industry.

They are pioneers of initiatives that champion women through a programme of activism including events, campaigns, and arts commissions with one clear message – women belong in beer.

Women On Tap CIC is a registered trademark, certified social enterprise and not-for-profit and to date has delivered more than 100 events and 7 festivals.

www.womenontap.co.uk

About SIBA

SIBA, the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates, was established in 1980 to represent the interests of the growing number of independent breweries in Britain.

SIBA currently represents over one thousand independent breweries, supplier companies, associate brewing members and Homebrewers

Most recently they launched the Indie Beer campaign, which makes it easier for beer drinkers to discover truly independent breweries across the UK.

www.siba.co.uk

About WSET

WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) is the global leader in drinks education. Founded in 1969, and recognised by the awarding body Ofqual, they have awarded over 1.5 million people with a qualification since inception.

The courses are open to both industry professionals and interested enthusiasts who can take them across four levels, from one-day beginner to expert level diploma. Available in more than 15 languages and in over 70 countries, WSET qualifications have a strong reputation worldwide as the industry standard for knowledge. In the last academic year (2023/24) 134,000 candidates sat for a WSET qualification. Follow WSET on Instagram and LinkedIn

Contact rachel@womenontap.co.uk

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